


Dauntless

by titansatemysoul



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, M/M, Painfully Canon Divergent, Spoilers for Ch 80 and Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-14 19:19:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8025868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/titansatemysoul/pseuds/titansatemysoul
Summary: Dauntless; showing fearlessness and determinationHis fate is sealed, but even in his final moments, he can't help but want for more.(post Ch. 80 drabble, now canon divergent)





	Dauntless

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr April 2016  
> written to Follow You - Bring Me the Horizon  
> quotes from the manga translation provided by fuku-shuu@Tumblr

“You want me to get close to it by maneuver gear alone?”

Levi’s kneeling on the grass, steel blade gripped like a vice in his pale hand. Black hair falls over his face, a few strands plastered against his forehead. Erwin commits it to memory. The sharp edge of his brow, the way grey irises complement the darkening creases around his eyes.

Erwin looks at him, considering, not for the first time, the way the slope of his nose might feel underneath his lips, rough pillows against his tongue as he traces the seam of Levi’s mouth. But Levi’s brows are knitted together and the corners of his mouth are drawn, and Erwin knows they never had time.

“That bastard’s surrounded by flat ground!!? There aren’t any trees or buildings I can use!”

In a dream, Erwin reaches out, pulling Levi against him, solid and sure. Instead, he speaks.

“You’re wrong.” Levi waits, considering. “Aren’t there tall structures standing perfectly in line there for you to use?”

He stands, stepping just out of Erwin’s reach. His is back turned away, and the dream dies.

“Use all the ten meter type Titans…sneak close to the Beast Titan before you attack.”

Levi’s nods curtly, hands finding his grips, and Erwin thinks he can see a muscle tensing against ivory skin. He wants to reach out and touch him, but he doesn’t, and Levi doesn’t turn around before firing his grappling hooks, taking off into the air.

Erwin watches, Levi soaring above him in the underground city, only this time the Wings of Freedom flourish on his back, and the sky is glowing above him. Erwin smiles at the memory before finding his horse, the other soldiers assemble behind him. They fall into a canter, then a gallop, Erwin leaning low in his saddle.

_“I’m sorry…”_

Erwin grips his flare gun, fingers entwined in his reigns. There’s a roar in the distance, titan smoke creeping into his periphery.

Levi.

“ATTACK!” A squad leader cries, and it echoes throughout the voices of the men and women behind them. “Now!! Fire!!”

Smoke billows out in front of him and their horses slow as Erwin squints, eyes weaving between the pluming trails. The Beast Titan is there, arms raised up behind its head.

“He’s getting ready!! LET’S MOVE!”

What will our sacrifice amount to? Erwin wonders as they barrel towards their target. What kind of world have my comrades died to create? Even now, his curiosity is seductive, taunting. He pushes it down, letting his voice drown out its call.

“THIS IS ALL WE HAVE!  
THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO CONFRONT THIS CRUEL WORLD!  
UNLEASH YOUR FURY, SOLDIERS!  
ROAR TO THE SKIES, SOLDIERS!“ 

His thoughts are all consuming, devouring his heart, harmonizing with the symphony of destruction around him. Erwin barely notices as tiny flecks of dirt cut the sides of his face, guiding his horse between the crumbling terrains.

"Fight soldiers!”

A boulder is barreling towards him, and there’s no time to get out of the way. Erwin is thrown, landing on an angle, sharp earth digging into his back, contorting his limbs. His ears are ringing, and the back of his head feels heavy. There are spots in his vision, and he’s vaguely aware of the pain blooming throughout his body. The battle rages on around him, but there’s nothing more to be done, and his eyes drift in and out of focus. It feels like he’s falling.

Freedom beyond the walls.

The truth behind the Titans.

_“What will the world look like…tomorrow?”_

They’ve reached the precipice of everything humanity has worked for, and it’s so close he can taste it, metallic on his tongue. His thoughts begin to blur, and soon, they’ve taken him to the ocean, a school house…

A tea shop.   

All just on the other side of the Wall.

**Author's Note:**

> Lol remember Chapter 80 when we were all ready for Erwin's death and then had to wait another four chapters? Yeah, good times.


End file.
